Melodrama (Lorde album)#Personnel

File:Antonoff in Tucson.jpg (pictured) co-wrote and co-produced the majority of the album with Lorde.|alt=A young Caucasian man holding a red electric guitar stands against a dark background lit with a blue spotlight.]]

In December 2013, Lorde announced that she had begun writing material for an upcoming second studio album.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5833529/lorde-working-on-new-material-tour-down-under-on-the-cards |title=Lorde Working on New Material, Australian Tour Being Planned |magazine=Billboard |date=13 December 2013 |access-date=22 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704082410/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5833529/lorde-working-on-new-material-tour-down-under-on-the-cards |archive-date=4 July 2014}} The following year, she said it was in its early stages and that it was "totally different" from her debut album released earlier that year; she also said the shift in sound was due to the change in circumstances and settings of her life.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a575623/lorde-my-next-album-will-sound-totally-different.html |title=Lorde: 'My next album will sound totally different' |work=Digital Spy |date=5 June 2014 |access-date=27 August 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829072621/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a575623/lorde-my-next-album-will-sound-totally-different.html |archive-date=29 August 2014}} Later in 2014, Lionsgate announced that Lorde would curate the soundtrack for the third installment of The Hunger Games franchise, which would be followed by the release of the film's lead single "Yellow Flicker Beat" to critical acclaim.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2014/09/lorde-yellow-flicker-beat-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-soundtrack-single/|title=Lorde Bares Her Fangs on 'Hunger Games' Single 'Yellow Flicker Beat'|work=Spin|first=Brennan|last=Carley|date=29 September 2014|access-date=30 September 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821063451/http://www.spin.com/2014/09/lorde-yellow-flicker-beat-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-soundtrack-single/|archive-date=21 August 2015}}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6203461/lorde-hunger-games-mockingjay-soundtrack|title=Lorde to Curate 'Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' Soundtrack and Contribute Single|magazine=Billboard|last=Strecker|first=Erin|date=31 July 2014|access-date=14 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319060618/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6203461/lorde-hunger-games-mockingjay-soundtrack|archive-date=19 March 2018}}

In an interview with Australia's Triple J radio network in February 2015, Joel Little, who produced Pure Heroine, said he was scheduled to join Lorde for a writing session in a recording studio the following month,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6480275/lorde-to-return-to-the-studio-within-the-next-month-or-so|title=Lorde to Return to the Studio 'Within the Next Month Or So'|magazine=Billboard|last=Brandle|first=Lars|date=23 February 2015|access-date=11 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628020947/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6480275/lorde-to-return-to-the-studio-within-the-next-month-or-so|archive-date=28 June 2017}} although a definite plan was not yet established. More than a year later, he reported that even though he had written a few songs for the album, he would not serve as an executive producer, attributing this to Lorde "trying to do something different".{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11732877|title=Joel Little's Lorde album update: 'I'm not producing it'|work=The New Zealand Herald |date=21 October 2016|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319061101/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11732877|url-status=live}} Lorde was eventually featured on Disclosure's track "Magnets" which appears on the duo's 2015 album Caracal.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-disclosure-lordes-seductive-new-song-magnets-20150923|title=Hear Disclosure, Lorde's Seductive New Song, 'Magnets'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Reed|first=Ryan|date=23 September 2015|access-date=14 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319060613/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-disclosure-lordes-seductive-new-song-magnets-20150923|archive-date=19 March 2018}}

In January 2016, The New Zealand Herald reported that Lorde and James Lowe, her boyfriend, had ended their three-year relationship.{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/75984352/Reports-Lorde-has-split-from-her-boyfriend-James-Lowe-after-three-years|title=Reports: Lorde has split from her boyfriend James Lowe after three years|website=Stuff |date=19 January 2016|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=17 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102525/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/75984352/Reports-Lorde-has-split-from-her-boyfriend-James-Lowe-after-three-years|url-status=live}} The singer confirmed the break-up during interviews following the release of "Green Light" (2017),{{cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-green-light-meaning-video-interview-vevo-2069125|title=Lorde discusses the meaning of the 'Green Light' video|work=NME|last=Trendell|first=Andrew|date=10 May 2017|access-date=14 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629114501/http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-green-light-meaning-video-interview-vevo-2069125|archive-date=29 June 2017}} leading to her indulging in "heavy drinking" and noticing there was an "element of escapism and exploration" in doing so.{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/93347555/lorde-opens-up-after-a-breakup-you-go-to-these-crazy-places|title=Lorde opens up: 'After a break-up, you go to these crazy places'|website=Stuff |date=5 June 2017|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=17 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102419/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/93347555/lorde-opens-up-after-a-breakup-you-go-to-these-crazy-places|url-status=live}} Lorde eventually replied to a comment on her Instagram account in late August 2016 that she completed the writing process of Melodrama — still untitled at the time — and that she was in the production stages.{{cite news|title=Lorde Responds to Impatient Fan on Instagram, Provides Album Update|url=http://pigeonsandplanes.com/news/2016/08/lorde-2016-album-update/|access-date=15 March 2018|work=Pigeons and Planes|date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319060457/http://pigeonsandplanes.com/news/2016/08/lorde-2016-album-update/|archive-date=19 March 2018}}

The singer went on to announce the album's title on 2 March 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39143565|title=Lorde says David Bowie inspired her album, as she releases her new single, Green Light|work=BBC News |last=Savage|first=Mark|date=2 March 2017|access-date=30 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325211206/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39143565|archive-date=25 March 2017}} She also began posting pictures of herself at Electric Lady Studios in New York City with Jack Antonoff on social media taken in and after December 2015. Further recording sessions took place at Antonoff's home studio in Brooklyn Heights, dubbed Rough Customer Studio, and Jungle City in New York City, as well as Westlake and Conway in Los Angeles. The duo recorded for 18 months.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7809473/lorde-private-videos-melodrama-sessions-watch|title=Lorde Shares Private Videos From 'Melodrama' Sessions: Watch|magazine=Billboard|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|date=26 May 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319060458/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7809473/lorde-private-videos-melodrama-sessions-watch|archive-date=19 March 2018}}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-explains-long-absence-return-to-music-in-new-interview-w470078|title=Lorde Explains Long Absence, Return to Music in New Interview|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Spanos|first=Brittany |date=2 March 2017|access-date=30 March 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404234635/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-explains-long-absence-return-to-music-in-new-interview-w470078 |archive-date=4 April 2017}} Melodrama was released through Universal, Lava and Republic Records on 16 June 2017.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/68373-lorde-announces-new-album-melodrama/ |title=Lorde Announces New Album Melodrama |work=Pitchfork|date=2 March 2017|access-date=2 March 2017 |author1=Phillips, Amy |author2=Strauss, Matthew |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302211854/http://pitchfork.com/news/68373-lorde-announces-new-album-melodrama|archive-date=2 March 2017}}

File:Medea 1.jpg (Medea pictured) was a source of inspiration for the album's title.]]

Lorde said that during the early stages of writing content for Melodrama, she imagined writing the album from the perspective of aliens stepping outside a hermetically sealed environment for the first time, citing the 1950 science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury as an inspiration. This was a reflection of her disengagement with her early fame. She scrapped the aliens idea and decided to write about her own struggles with the early stages of adulthood.{{cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-alien-concept-album-2089532|title=Lorde reveals her new album was originally about aliens|work=NME|last=Morgan Britton|first=Luke|date=16 June 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317164707/http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-alien-concept-album-2089532|archive-date=17 March 2018}} Lorde also took notes from conversations with her friends and would fly multiple times between the United States and New Zealand to examine the world around her. The singer also travelled by helicopter to a rental house on Waiheke Island, where she could write without distractions, would continue working through "false starts, fruitless detours and stretches of inactivity" as she retreated from the public spotlight.

According to The New York Times, Melodrama is about a "grapple with emotions" in the aftermath of a break-up. Interviewed by the publication, Lorde says Melodrama is not simply a "breakup album" but is rather a "record about being alone", featuring both the favourable and unfavourable aspects associated with "heartbreak and solitude". She did, however, call "Green Light" a traditional break-up song.{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-album|title=Yes, Lorde's New Songs Are Definitely About Her Personal Life|work=Vanity Fair|date=5 June 2017|access-date=2 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705211627/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-album|archive-date=5 July 2017}} In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lorde said the title of the album is a "nod to the types of emotions you experience when you're 19 or 20." She cites her "love of theatre" and drawing parallels to Greek tragedies as inspiration for the album's title. According to Lorde, she had to deal with "very serious, vivid feelings" she needed to express after experiencing her first heartbreak and moving out of her parents' home; as a result, she spent time isolated in her own house.

While writing content for the album, Lorde took influence from a number of settings and tested new material by listening to demos through earphones at a diner near Columbus Circle, which she did for about four months to understand how the music would sound in everyday life. The diner usually played Top 40 radio, which she said would occasionally distract her from writing, although she sometimes removed her headphones to let the songs "wash over" her. She also took inspiration from strangers' conversations, often hearing certain phrases that she would think about for hours. These phrases also illustrated a "tableau" in her thoughts. In her home in New Zealand, Lorde had a wall of notes for her songs, which she used to "skim" the whole album; it allowed her to find connections to each track and "fill in their blanks". Each song was colour coded due to her sound-to-colour synesthesia; Lorde arranged the colours according to its theme and emotion. In a 2021 interview with Vogue, Lorde stated that the album was also influenced by her use of the drug MDMA.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lorde-cover-october-2021|title=Good Lorde! Behind the Blissed-Out Comeback of a Pop Iconoclast|last=Haskell|first=Rob|date=September 8, 2021|magazine=Vogue|access-date=March 6, 2024}}

File:The South side of 8 Spruce.jpg, where the album artwork's reference image was shot.]]

The cover artwork for Melodrama was painted by American abstract painter Sam McKinniss, with whom Lorde had communicated by email. The pair agreed to meet and started discussing a collaboration. Lorde later visited McKinniss' studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where she took a liking to a full-figure portrait of the cover photograph of Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain and a painting of Lil' Kim. Lorde asked McKinniss to create a painting with a "kind of colorful teenage restlessness and excitement and energy and potential".{{cite news|url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/lorde-melodrama-album-cover-sam-mckinniss-artist-interview|title=The Story Behind Lorde's New Album Cover, From the Artist Who Created It|work=W|last=Eckardt|first=Stephanie|date=2 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317164703/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/lorde-melodrama-album-cover-sam-mckinniss-artist-interview|archive-date=17 March 2018}}

McKinniss and Lorde met in November 2016 at his friend's studio on the 42nd floor of Frank Gehry's 8 Spruce Street skyscraper, which consisted of coloured bulbs on a lighting rig and a space with several windows. For the album shoot, Lorde wore a vintage negligee and posed for two hours. According to McKinniss, the album art is the "converging of two like minds" and "simpatico spirits".{{cite news|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/lorde-melodrama-cover-art-sam-mckinniss|title=The Artist Behind Lorde's Album Cover Wanted To Capture Youth in All Its Glory|work=Vogue|last=Huggins|first=Kristin|date=3 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102643/https://www.vogue.com/article/lorde-melodrama-cover-art-sam-mckinniss|archive-date=17 March 2018}} The pair considered making the photography session "operatic" and pre-Raphaelite-inspired, but scrapped the idea because they were satisfied with Lorde's facial expressions on the resulting images. McKinniss made two paintings from his photographs; one featured a blue glow with a warm flush on Lorde's cheek and the other has different lighting, with "paler, sweeter" colours.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-artist-sam-mckinniss-on-capturing-lorde-in-the-twilight|title=The Artist Sam McKinniss on Capturing Lorde in the Twilight|magazine=The New Yorker |last=Tolentino |first=Jia |author-link=Jia Tolentino |date=24 March 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317164950/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-artist-sam-mckinniss-on-capturing-lorde-in-the-twilight|archive-date=17 March 2018}} The unused painting was later revealed in an interview with McKinniss for Dazed.{{Cite news|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/39134/1/artist-sam-mckinniss-paints-google-images-of-your-favourite-icons|title=Sam McKinniss is painting Google Images of your favourite icons|work=Dazed|date=22 February 2018|access-date=14 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515044033/http://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/39134/1/artist-sam-mckinniss-paints-google-images-of-your-favourite-icons|archive-date=15 May 2018}}

NME placed the cover on their list of the best album artworks of the 21st century so far.{{cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/photos/best-album-artwork-21st-century-2155715|title=The best album artwork of the 21st Century so far|work=NME|last=Milton|first=Jamie|date=20 November 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319062628/http://www.nme.com/photos/best-album-artwork-21st-century-2155715|archive-date=19 March 2018}} Paste ranked it at number 11 in their year-end list for album covers,{{cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/12/the-40-best-album-covers-of-2017.html|title=The 40 Best Album Covers of 2017|work=Paste|last=Oshinsky|first=Matthew|date=14 December 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102741/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/12/the-40-best-album-covers-of-2017.html|archive-date=17 March 2018}} and it also appeared on Billboard{{'}}s unranked list. Tatiano Cirisano, writing for the latter publication, said McKinniss "perfectly communicates the intimacy and coming-of-age storyline" of the record with its "hazy twilight hues and bedside setting".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/photos/8070310/best-worst-album-covers-of-2017-top-25|title=25 Best & Worst Album Covers of 2017|magazine=Billboard|last=Cirisano|first=Tatiana|date=27 December 2017|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316104317/https://www.billboard.com/photos/8070310/best-worst-album-covers-of-2017-top-25|archive-date=16 March 2018}} Fuse also ranked the cover in their year-end list.{{cite news|url=https://www.fuse.tv/galleries/2017/06/best-album-covers-2017#16|title=The Best Album Covers of 2017|website=Fuse|date=13 December 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317232002/https://www.fuse.tv/galleries/2017/06/best-album-covers-2017#16|archive-date=17 March 2018}} Rolling Stone ranked the artwork at number 67 on their all-time list for album covers.{{cite magazine |last1=Rolling Stone Staff |title=The 100 Best Album Covers of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-album-covers-1235035232/ |access-date=8 November 2024 |magazine=Rolling stone |date=18 July 2024}}

{{multiple image

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| footer = Among the album's inspirations were the deaths of David Bowie (left) and Prince (right).{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/lorde-reveals-david-bowie-inspiration-second-album-new-single/|title=Lorde reveals David Bowie was inspiration for second album as new single Green Light released|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 March 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318041102/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/lorde-reveals-david-bowie-inspiration-second-album-new-single/|archive-date=18 March 2018}}

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Lorde's vocals on Melodrama have been noted for her emotional and multitrack delivery. She cites the emotional vocals of Kate Bush and Sinéad O'Connor, as well as Laurie Anderson's use of vocoder as inspiration for her vocal delivery on the album.{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/lorde-melodrama-influences-frank-ocean-robyn-bowie-prince-628768|title=The Influences on 'Melodrama': Frank Ocean, Robyn, David Bowie and 10 Other Artists Who Shaped Its Sound|work=Newsweek|last=Shaffer|first=Claire|date=24 June 2017|access-date=16 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906204642/http://www.newsweek.com/lorde-melodrama-influences-frank-ocean-robyn-bowie-prince-628768|archive-date=6 September 2017}} The Daily Telegraph writer Neil McCormick noted that Lorde's vocals locate "different levels of intimacy in different vocal timbres, multi-tracking her voice so that it often sounds like songs are being delivered by competing versions of herself". According to NME, different personae of Lorde, ranging from the "strong, composed young woman" to the hidden "psycho", are showcased through her vocal performances on the album.

Melodrama is built around Antonoff's signature production, which incorporates drums, synths, layered vocals and straightforward hooks.{{cite news|url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/30/16720386/jack-antonoff-dr-luke-taylor-swift-kesha-pink-pop-music|title=The Cure for Dr. Luke?|work=The Ringer|last=Zoladz|first=Lindsay|date=30 November 2017|access-date=9 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109180942/https://www.theringer.com/music/2017/11/30/16720386/jack-antonoff-dr-luke-taylor-swift-kesha-pink-pop-music|archive-date=9 January 2018}} Lorde and Antonoff met in early 2014 at a Grammy after-party and later had several "exploratory" writing sessions before Lorde hired him as the main co-writer on the album. Lorde worked on Melodrama in Antonoff's Rough Customer Studios in New York City and at her home in New Zealand. The song structures on the record are traditional in construction, with piano-based melodies in contrast with the hip-hop influences on Lorde's first album.{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-ent-0616-music-lorde-melodrama-20170616-column.html|title=Review: Lorde and the 'Melodrama' of innocence lost|work=The Chicago Tribune|last=Kot|first=Greg|date=16 June 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102421/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-ent-0616-music-lorde-melodrama-20170616-column.html|archive-date=17 March 2018}} The singer took a classicist approach, usually composing a melody and then trying different vocal falsettos; Lorde said that because of this, the whole album can be played in acoustic form. She also cited her desire to explore a "cathartic mode" for the album. Several publications noted its maximalist pop production, a departure from the singer's signature minimalist style.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/18/lorde-melodrama-review-maximum-overwrought-green-light-liability|title=Lorde: Melodrama review – maximum overwrought|last=Empire|first=Kitty|date=18 June 2017|work=The Guardian |access-date=12 September 2017|issn=0261-3077|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223014704/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/18/lorde-melodrama-review-maximum-overwrought-green-light-liability|archive-date=23 December 2017}}
{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-review-2017-best-pop-album-so-far/102839484/|title=Lorde's 'Melodrama' is 2017's best pop album so far|work=USA Today|last=McDermott|first=Maeve|date=16 June 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613020556/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-review-2017-best-pop-album-so-far/102839484/|archive-date=13 June 2018}}
{{cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/06/album-review-lorde-melodrama/|title=Lorde – Melodrama|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Weiss|first=Dan|date=19 June 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105011419/https://consequence.net/2017/06/album-review-lorde-melodrama/|archive-date=5 January 2018}} Melodrama has been described by critics as a pop,{{cite news|url=https://crackmagazine.net/article/album-reviews/lorde-melodrama-review-2017/|title=Lorde - 'Melodrama' review|work=Crack|last=Harrison|first=Duncan|access-date=15 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317231903/https://crackmagazine.net/article/album-reviews/lorde-melodrama-review-2017/|archive-date=17 March 2018}} electropop,{{cite news|last=Reily|first=Emily|title=Lorde: Melodrama Review|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review.html|work=Paste|date=26 June 2017|access-date=15 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228150848/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review.html|archive-date=28 December 2017}} and art pop record.{{cite web|last=Season|first=Sowing|title=Lorde-Melodrama|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/74058/Lorde-Melodrama/|website=Sputnikmusic|access-date=29 May 2020|date=17 June 2017}}

The album's lyrics are about heartbreak and solitude.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/72821-lordes-new-album-tells-the-story-of-one-house-party/|title=Lorde's New Album Tells the Story of One House Party|work=Pitchfork|last=Monroe|first=Jazz|date=12 April 2017|access-date=12 April 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412183521/http://pitchfork.com/news/72821-lordes-new-album-tells-the-story-of-one-house-party/?mbid=homepage-more-latest-and-video|archive-date=12 April 2017}} Though it has been denied by Lorde,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/magazine/the-return-of-lorde.html|title=The Return of Lorde|work=The New York Times|last=Weiner|first=Jonah|date=12 April 2017|access-date=22 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621182656/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/magazine/the-return-of-lorde.html?_r=0 |archive-date=21 June 2017}} music critics have described Melodrama as a loose concept album.{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-guide.html|title=Lorde's Melodrama Is a Concept Album About a House Party and 7 Things to Know Before Listening|website=Vulture|last=Lockett|first=Dee|date=15 June 2017|access-date=16 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915095557/http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-guide.html|archive-date=15 September 2017}} Lorde has stated that the record has only a loose narrative;{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-key-tracks/102851428|title=Lorde breaks down 5 key songs off new album 'Melodrama'|website=USA Today|last=Ryan|first=Patrick|access-date=19 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619023418/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-key-tracks/102851428/|archive-date=19 June 2017}} it follows the framework of a single house party, and the events and moods that ensue.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lorde-new-album-melodrama-house-party-concept-aliens-a7793911.html|title=Lorde's new album Melodrama is about a house party, it was originally about aliens|website=The Independent|last=Hooton|first=Christopher|date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917032133/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lorde-new-album-melodrama-house-party-concept-aliens-a7793911.html|archive-date=17 September 2017}} According to the singer, the album's shift in narrative focuses on "I" in contrast with Pure Heroine{{'}}s inclusion of "we" and "us". Lorde wanted to showcase contrast, going from "big and grand" to "really tiny and intimate", as well as desired to reference personal events, headlines and themes associated with the World Wide Web. She drew inspiration from Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland, describing it as "enlightenment after love lost".{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/features/lorde-interview-2017-melodrama-nme-2088564|title=Lorde talks fame, growing up and her new album 'Melodrama' – NME|website=NME|last=Mackay|first=Emily|date=16 June 2017|access-date=19 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617220114/http://www.nme.com/features/lorde-interview-2017-melodrama-nme-2088564|archive-date=17 June 2017}} She also mentioned the 2016 song "Somebody Else" by English band the 1975 as a track that provided influence on the tones, colours and emotions of the album.{{Cite web |title=Watch Lorde Cover One of Her 'Favorite Songs' on Tour |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/b9jx3w/lorde-cover-the-1975-somebody-else |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002065327/https://www.mtv.com/news/b9jx3w/lorde-cover-the-1975-somebody-else |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=MTV |language=en}} Lorde uses numerous metaphors on Melodrama, such as the teeth of great white sharks, continuing her incorporation of teeth in her lyrics.{{cite news|url=https://psmag.com/news/lorde-is-talking-teeth-and-status|title=Lorde Is Talking — and Status|work=Pacific Standard|last=Tensley|first=Brandon|date=27 May 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317164804/https://psmag.com/news/lorde-is-talking-teeth-and-status|archive-date=17 March 2018}}
{{cite news|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/section/arts/single-review-lorde-almighty-green-light|title=Single Review: Lorde is almighty on 'Green Light'|work=The Michigan Daily|last=Gaudin|first=Madeleine|date=7 March 2017|access-date=9 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102447/https://www.michigandaily.com/section/arts/single-review-lorde-almighty-green-light|archive-date=17 March 2018}}

{{listen

| filename = The Louvre - Sample.ogg

| title = "The Louvre"

| description = "The Louvre" is an acoustic guitar-driven electropop song with elements of indie rock and ambient music. Influenced by Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde, the song omits a chorus defying the traditional song structure.

| pos = right

}}

The album's opening track, "Green Light", features titular metaphors; reviewers interpreted the "green light" as a street signal that gives the singer permission to move into the future.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/lorde-green-light-new-single-track-review/518451/|title=With 'Green Light,' Lorde Joyfully Crashes into the Future|work=The Atlantic|last=Kornhaber|first=Spencer|access-date=3 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303014600/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/lorde-green-light-new-single-track-review/518451/|archive-date=3 March 2017}} It was described by critics as an electropop,{{cite web|url=http://www.teenvogue.com/story/lorde-release-second-album-this-summer|title=Lorde To Release Her Second Album This Summer|website=Teen Vogue|last=Elizabeth|first=De|date=2 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303201411/http://www.teenvogue.com/story/lorde-release-second-album-this-summer|archive-date=3 March 2017|url-status=live|access-date=4 March 2017}} dance-pop,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-explains-long-absence-return-to-music-in-new-interview-w470078|title=Lorde Explains Long Absence, Return to Music in New Interview|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=2 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302225242/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-explains-long-absence-return-to-music-in-new-interview-w470078|archive-date=2 March 2017|url-status=live|access-date=3 March 2017}} and post-disco song.{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review.html|title=Lorde: Melodrama Review|work=Paste|last=Reily|first=Emily|date=26 June 2017|access-date=26 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228150848/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review.html|archive-date=28 December 2017}} Lorde was inspired to write the track after attending a Florence and the Machine concert with Antonoff; the writing process took her 18 months to complete. "Sober", which was formed using a bongo drum, was written after Lorde played a show at Coachella. The track's instrumentation also includes a tenor and baritone saxophone, a trumpet,{{cite news|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/lorde-dissects-sober-on-song-exploder-listen/|title=Lorde Dissects "Sober" on "Song Exploder": Listen|work=Pitchfork|last=Yoo|first=Noah|date=25 September 2017|access-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301104110/https://pitchfork.com/news/lorde-dissects-sober-on-song-exploder-listen/|archive-date=1 March 2018}} as well as the sound of a tiger's roar, which was added when Antonoff looked through samples on his computer.{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/music/2017/12/28/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lorde-interview/|title=Jack Antonoff on his jam-packed 2017 and the Taylor Swift song he calls a 'hint at the future'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Feeney|first=Nolan|date=28 December 2017|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202203438/http://ew.com/music/2017/12/28/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lorde-interview/|archive-date=2 February 2018}}

Lorde co-wrote "Homemade Dynamite" with Tove Lo.{{cite news |last1=O'Flynn |first1=Brian |title=Tove Lo Talks Shifting Musical Landscapes and the State of Scandipop |url=https://i-d.co/article/tove-lo-sunshine-kitty-scandipop/ |access-date=11 June 2020 |work=i-D |publisher=Vice |date=18 June 2019 |archive-date=11 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611020942/https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/a3xa98/tove-lo-sunshine-kitty-scandipop |url-status=live }} It is the only song on which Antonoff is not credited as a songwriter or producer. Lorde was inspired to write "The Louvre" after listening to Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde. She stated in a podcast interview with The Spinoff that she could have made a "big, easy single" but refrained from doing so because she felt it would not mean much to "simplify the journey" or "force a big chorus".{{cite news|url=http://www.complex.com/music/2017/06/lorde-reveals-how-frank-ocean-blonde-inspired-her-album-melodrama|title=Lorde Reveals How Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Inspired Her Album 'Melodrama'|work=Complex|last=Martinez|first=Jose|date=19 June 2017|access-date=23 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020025733/http://www.complex.com/music/2017/06/lorde-reveals-how-frank-ocean-blonde-inspired-her-album-melodrama|archive-date=20 October 2017}} She said that the production process was "exciting", stating, "I can use guitars and I can get a big gnarly Flume beat and throw it under water."{{cite news|last=Murray|first=Robin|title=Lorde Reveals Frank Ocean Influenced Her New Album|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/news/lorde-reveals-frank-ocean-influenced-her-new-album|access-date=28 April 2018|work=Clash|date=20 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428183544/http://www.clashmusic.com/news/lorde-reveals-frank-ocean-influenced-her-new-album|archive-date=28 April 2018}} According to Newsweek, the singer's cadence in some lines almost turns into rapping, which was compared with cross-genre music. "Liability" is the first piano ballad on the album; in a profile with The Spinoff, Lorde said was inspired by the track "Higher" from Rihanna's 2016 album Anti, which she listened to when she took a taxi home from a hike.

{{multiple image

| image1 = Paul Simon in 1966.jpg

| alt1 = An early-middle-aged Caucasian man with short, dark hair and dressed in a coat and dress shirt looks towards the camera.

| width1 = 150

| image2 = Strasbourg-1981-10-a-07 (3759068882).jpg

| alt2 = A young Caucasian man with short, dark hair wearing a creased, light-coloured tee shirt

| width2 = 200

| footer = Lorde often listened to Paul Simon's (pictured left) 1986 album Graceland on taxis she took on her way home from parties. Critics also noted Phil Collins' (pictured right) signature instrumentation on the album.

}}

The first part of the medley song "Hard Feelings/Loveless" uses a distorted synthesizer and elements of industrial, noise and electronica genres.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/arts/music/lorde-melodrama-review.html|title=Lorde Learns She Can't Party Away Her Melancholy on 'Melodrama'|work=The New York Times|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=16 June 2017|access-date=4 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227085806/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/arts/music/lorde-melodrama-review.html|archive-date=27 December 2017}} Antonoff said one of his proudest moments while producing the album was the placing of a "synth at the end [of the song] that sounds like metal bending".{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/music/2017/12/28/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lorde-interview/|title=Jack Antonoff on his jam-packed 2017 and the Taylor Swift song he calls a 'hint at the future'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Feeney|first=Nolan|date=28 December 2017|access-date=16 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082556/http://ew.com/music/2017/12/28/jack-antonoff-taylor-swift-lorde-interview/|archive-date=17 February 2018}} The first two lines of "Loveless" were sampled from a documentary Lorde watched about Paul Simon's album Graceland. The drum solo used as the transition instrument linking "Hard Feelings" to "Loveless" was sampled from Phil Collins' 1981 song "In the Air Tonight". She often listened to the soft rock music of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and Paul Simon while riding the subways in New York City and taking cab rides home from parties in Auckland.

The following track, "Sober II (Melodrama)", a continuation of "Sober", details the emotions and sense of loneliness after a party is over.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/06/15/532599070/lorde-on-dialing-out-and-turning-inward|title=Lorde On Dialing Out And Turning Inward|website=npr.org|publisher=National Public Radio|last=Whitley|first=Tori|date=15 June 2017|access-date=1 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301164547/https://www.npr.org/2017/06/15/532599070/lorde-on-dialing-out-and-turning-inward|archive-date=1 March 2018}} The song was originally titled "Sober (Interlude)" before its release.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-tiny-surprise-gig-photos-footage-2050735|title=Lorde plays first show in over 2 years at tiny surprise gig, see photos, setlist and footage|work=NME|last=Maine|first=Samantha|date=15 April 2017|access-date=24 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324102233/http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-tiny-surprise-gig-photos-footage-2050735|archive-date=24 March 2018}} Lorde wrote down the main theme of "Writer in the Dark" after waking up in the middle of the night in a stranger's bed, feeling naughty and empowered while doing so. To her, it was a "cool, painful moment" on the record. The singer was inspired to write "Supercut" after driving through Ponsonby Road in Auckland in a taxi listening to Simon's album Graceland. Most of the song was constructed using drums, whereas "blanks" were later "filled" with piano sequences.{{cite news|url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/19-06-2017/the-spinoff-exclusive-lorde-explains-the-backstory-behind-every-song-on-her-new-album/|title=The Spinoff Exclusive: Lorde explains the backstory behind every song on her new album|work=The Spinoff |last=Oliver|first=Henry|date=19 June 2017|access-date=26 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223215719/https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/19-06-2017/the-spinoff-exclusive-lorde-explains-the-backstory-behind-every-song-on-her-new-album/|archive-date=23 December 2017}} It features an interpolation of a piano riff used in "Green Light". She considered turning "Liability (Reprise)" into an a cappella track before deciding to "be sensible" and adding a backing beat. "Perfect Places" was inspired after the deaths of David Bowie and Prince occurred, two musicians Lorde states were the most influential for the recording of Melodrama.

{{see also|Melodrama World Tour}}

File:RF 3006 Lorde@Arena Krists Luhaers-4 (35731259842) (cropped).jpg

Lorde first promoted the album by posting a link to a website called imwaitingforit.com to her Twitter account on 27 February 2017.{{cite news |last1=Lockett |first1=Dee |title=Prepare for Lorde's Possible Return on Friday With This Cryptic Ad |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/lorde-teases-possible-new-music-in-new-ad.html |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=Vulture |date=27 February 2017 |archive-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028114529/https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/lorde-teases-possible-new-music-in-new-ad.html |url-status=live }} The website featured a short clip of Lorde sitting in a car eating and drinking while a piano-backed track played in the background; this was followed with the dates "3.2.17 NYC" and "3.3.17 NZ" appearing onscreen. The video was titled "M" followed by seven asterisks and ending with "A", which would later be revealed as the album's name.{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/music/2017/02/27/lorde-new-music-video-teaser/|title=Lorde teases new music with mysterious video|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Bacle|first=Ariana|date=27 February 2017|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002748/http://ew.com/music/2017/02/27/lorde-new-music-video-teaser/|archive-date=9 February 2018}}
{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4684837/lorde-new-album-release/|title=Everything We Know About Lorde's Upcoming Album Release|magazine=Time|last=Bruner|first=Raisa|date=28 February 2017|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129092924/http://time.com/4684837/lorde-new-album-release/|archive-date=29 November 2017}} According to Fact magazine, the clip was also broadcast on New Zealand's major television channels.{{cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/02/it-looks-like-a-new-lorde-single-will-premiere-on-friday/|title=It looks like a new Lorde single will premiere on Friday|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Geslani|first=Michelle|date=27 February 2017|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063125/https://consequence.net/2017/02/it-looks-like-a-new-lorde-single-will-premiere-on-friday/|archive-date=9 February 2018}} The album was leaked online one day prior to release.{{Cite web|date=15 June 2017|title=Lorde's new album leaked online|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/lordes-new-album-leaked-online|access-date=25 December 2020|website=Otago Daily Times |language=en|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625062929/https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/lordes-new-album-leaked-online|url-status=live}}

On 2 March 2017, Lorde released "Green Light" as the lead single from the album.{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/2/14788960/lorde-single-green-light|title="Green Light," Lorde's first single in 3 years, reveals a more upbeat pop star|work=Vox|last=Henwood|first=Bridgett|date=2 March 2017|access-date=14 June 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615032534/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/2/14788960/lorde-single-green-light|archive-date=15 June 2018}} The single was universally praised by critics, with many publications placing it in their year-end lists, and was recognised as NME{{'s}} Single of the Year.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/nmes-best-tracks-year-2017-2161431/5/|title=Best Songs of the Year 2017|date=27 November 2017|work=NME|access-date=4 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206151645/http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/nmes-best-tracks-year-2017-2161431/5|archive-date=6 December 2017}} It was commercially successful, earning platinum in the United States and a triple platinum certification in Australia.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Lorde&ti=Green+Light#search_section|title=American single certifications – Lorde – Green Light|website=riaa.com|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=17 March 2018|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625062929/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Lorde&ti=Green+Light#search_section|url-status=live}}
{{cite news|title=ARIA Chart Watch #458|url=https://www.auspop.com.au/2018/2/aria-chart-watch-458/|website=auspOp|date=3 February 2018|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203124043/https://www.auspop.com.au/2018/2/aria-chart-watch-458/|archive-date=3 February 2018}} The following week, Lorde released "Liability" as Melodrama{{'s}} first promotional single.{{cite news |last1=McIntyre |first1=Hugh |title=Lorde Drops Surprise New Single 'Perfect Places' From Her Upcoming Sophomore Album |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2017/06/01/lorde-drops-surprise-new-single-perfect-places-from-her-upcoming-sophomore-album/#6c93090177ba |access-date=29 May 2020 |work=Forbes |date=1 June 2017 |archive-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106232251/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2017/06/01/lorde-drops-surprise-new-single-perfect-places-from-her-upcoming-sophomore-album/#6c93090177ba |url-status=live }} She performed it alongside "Green Light" for the first time on 12 March 2017 episode of Saturday Night Live. This was her first performance in over two years,{{cite news|url=https://consequence.net/2017/03/lorde-makes-live-comeback-with-dazzling-performance-on-snl-watch/|title=Lorde makes live comeback with dazzling performance on SNL — watch|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Young|first=Alex|date=12 March 2017|access-date=12 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405075803/https://consequence.net/2017/03/lorde-makes-live-comeback-with-dazzling-performance-on-snl-watch/|archive-date=5 April 2018}} and gained positive reviews from critics.{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/72119-listen-to-lordes-new-song-liability/|title=Listen to Lorde's New Song "Liability"|work=Pitchfork|last=Pearce|first=Sheldon|date=9 March 2017|access-date=9 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309234315/http://pitchfork.com/news/72119-listen-to-lordes-new-song-liability/|archive-date=9 March 2017}}
{{cite web|url=https://readdork.com/news/lorde-unveils-new-track-liability-along-with-a-release-date-for-melodrama/|title=Lorde unveils new track 'Liability', along with a release date for 'Melodrama'|website=Dork|last=Muir|first=Jamie|date=9 March 2017|access-date=9 March 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312053918/https://readdork.com/news/lorde-unveils-new-track-liability-along-with-a-release-date-for-melodrama/|archive-date=12 March 2017}}

Lorde released "Perfect Places" as the second single from Melodrama on 1 June 2017.{{cite magazine |last1=Grant |first1=Sarah |title=Hear Lorde's New Existential Party Anthem 'Perfect Places' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-lordes-new-existential-party-anthem-perfect-places-250886/ |access-date=29 May 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=1 June 2017 |archive-date=11 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311071427/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hear-lordes-new-existential-party-anthem-perfect-places-250886/ |url-status=live }} The following week, "Sober" was announced as the album's second promotional single.{{cite web |last1=Nied |first1=Mike |title=Lorde's 'Melodrama': Album Review |url=https://www.idolator.com/7664835/lorde-melodrama-album-review |website=Idolator |access-date=2 June 2020 |date=16 June 2017 |archive-date=12 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912103718/https://www.idolator.com/7664835/lorde-melodrama-album-review |url-status=dead }} At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, Lorde performed an interpretive dance to "Homemade Dynamite", which was met with mixed reviews from critics, some of whom called it "bizarre".{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2017/8/27/16212692/mtv-vma-2017-lorde-performance-flu|title=Lorde had the flu. She performed at the VMAs anyway.|first=Alex|last=Abad-Santos|date=27 August 2017|website=Vox.com|access-date=1 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901064305/https://www.vox.com/2017/8/27/16212692/mtv-vma-2017-lorde-performance-flu|archive-date=1 September 2017}}
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/vmas-2017-best-worst-and-most-wtf-moments-w499822/worst-lordes-wordless-interpretive-dance-w499831|title=Worst: Lorde's Wordless Interpretive Dance|magazine=Rolling Stone|last1=Leight|first1=Elias|last2=Murray|first2=Nick|last3=Shipley|first3=Al|date=28 August 2017|access-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914121659/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/vmas-2017-best-worst-and-most-wtf-moments-w499822/worst-lordes-wordless-interpretive-dance-w499831|archive-date=14 September 2017}} Her decision not to sing came after she was diagnosed with influenza.{{cite magazine |title=Lorde Fights Through the Flu, Performs 'Homemade Dynamite' at 2017 MTV VMAs |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/vmas/7942167/lorde-homemade-dynamite-2017-mtv-vmas |access-date=29 May 2020 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=25 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625062933/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/vmas/7942167/lorde-homemade-dynamite-2017-mtv-vmas |url-status=live }} Following her performance, Lorde released a remix of "Homemade Dynamite" that featured guest vocals by Khalid, Post Malone and SZA as the third single from the album on 16 September 2017.{{cite news|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/homemade-dynamite-remix-feat-khalid-post-malone-sza-single/1281136659|title=Homemade Dynamite (Remix) [feat. Khalid, Post Malone & SZA] – Single|work=iTunes|access-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105012950/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/homemade-dynamite-remix-feat-khalid-post-malone-sza-single/1281136659|archive-date=5 January 2018}} To further promote the album, Lorde embarked on a world tour with several opening acts; she announced the tour in June 2017. The tour began at the O2 Apollo Manchester in England on 26 September 2017 and ended on 19 October 2017 in Trondheim, Norway.{{cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-world-uk-europe-tour-2017-2085938|title=Lorde announces world tour including UK and Europe dates|work=NME|last=Morgan Britton|first=Luke|date=8 June 2017|access-date=17 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202064257/http://www.nme.com/news/music/lorde-world-uk-europe-tour-2017-2085938|archive-date=2 December 2017}} The Oceania leg consisted of 13 dates. Lorde played an additional 30 shows in North America, which commenced in Milwaukee on 1 March 2018 and concluded in Nashville on 15 April 2018.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-sets-north-american-leg-of-melodrama-world-tour-w488303|title=Lorde Sets North American Leg of Melodrama World Tour|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=16 June 2017|access-date=12 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317103004/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-sets-north-american-leg-of-melodrama-world-tour-w488303|archive-date=17 March 2018}}

On the US Billboard 200, Melodrama debuted at number one with first-week sales of 109,000 album-equivalent units, of which 82,000 were pure sales, becoming Lorde's first number one in the United States.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7842114/lorde-melodrama-no-1-album-billboard-200-chart|title=Lorde Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Melodrama'|magazine=Billboard|first=Keith|last=Caulfield|date=25 June 2017|access-date=26 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626022349/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7842114/lorde-melodrama-no-1-album-billboard-200-chart|archive-date=26 June 2017}} The album dropped to number 13 the following week.{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/94363299/lordes-melodrama-has-short-rein-at-top-of-the-us-charts-falling-to-no-13|title=Lorde's 'Melodrama' has short reign at top of the US charts, falling to No. 13|work=Stuff |date=4 July 2017|access-date=11 July 2017|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707074652/http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/94363299/lordes-melodrama-has-short-rein-at-top-of-the-us-charts-falling-to-no-13|url-status=live}} The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the album a gold certification, which denotes 500,000 units in consumption. Melodrama was also her first number-one album in Canada,{{Cite news|url=http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/06/25/charts-june-25-2017|title=On The Charts: June 25, 2017|work=FYIMusicNews|date=25 June 2017|access-date=26 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629070452/http://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/06/25/charts-june-25-2017|archive-date=29 June 2017}} where it received a platinum certification. It also debuted atop the charts in Australia{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/lorde-succeeds-where-katy-perry-failed-by-knocking-ed-sheeran-off-the-top-of-the-aria-album-chart/news-story/25b7d015bc4cb6125e7ebb067c5e24c5|title=Lorde succeeds where Katy Perry failed by knocking Ed Sheeran off the top of the ARIA album chart|last=Adams|first=Cameron|date=25 June 2017|access-date=28 June 2017|website=news.com.au|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625143116/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/lorde-succeeds-where-katy-perry-failed-by-knocking-ed-sheeran-off-the-top-of-the-aria-album-chart/news-story/25b7d015bc4cb6125e7ebb067c5e24c5|archive-date=25 June 2017}} and New Zealand, receiving platinum and quadruple-platinum certifications in respective countries. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number five{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-royal-blood-score-second-chart-topper/068917|title=Official Charts Analysis: Royal Blood score second chart-topper|work=Music Week|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=23 June 2017|access-date=9 July 2017|url-access=subscription |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921193827/http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/official-charts-analysis-royal-blood-score-second-chart-topper/068917|archive-date=21 September 2017}} and was certified gold in the United Kingdom.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/14603-3846-2|title= British Album Certifications - Lorde - Melodrama |date=24 August 2018 |access-date=16 December 2021 |website=British Phonographic Industry}}

The album also entered in European recorded music markets, reaching the top ten in Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands, top twenty in Belgium, Poland and Germany, top thirty in France and top forty in Hungary.

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 8.7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8760/Lorde-Melodrama.aspx|title=Melodrama by Lorde reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=16 June 2017|archive-date=18 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170618230405/http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8760/Lorde-Melodrama.aspx|url-status=live}}

| MC = 91/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/melodrama/lorde|title=Reviews and Tracks for Melodrama by Lorde|website=Metacritic|access-date=15 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715054021/http://www.metacritic.com/music/melodrama/lorde|archive-date=15 July 2017}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/melodrama-mw0003031925|title=Melodrama – Lorde|publisher=AllMusic|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=16 November 2019|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130170637/http://www.allmusic.com/album/melodrama-mw0003031925|archive-date=30 November 2019}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = A{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/on-melodrama-lorde-throws-a-party-for-all-of-our-messy-1798191649|title=On Melodrama, Lorde throws a party for all of our messy selves|work=The A.V. Club|last=Fredette|first=Meagan|date=23 June 2017|access-date=16 January 2025|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623182420/http://www.avclub.com/review/melodrama-lorde-throws-party-all-our-messy-selves-257241|archive-date=23 June 2017}}

| rev3 = The Daily Telegraph

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lorde-melodrama-review-imaginatively-audacious-triumph-just/|title=Lorde, Melodrama, review: 'this imaginatively audacious triumph is just too good to resist'|work=The Daily Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617102306/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/lorde-melodrama-review-imaginatively-audacious-triumph-just/|archive-date=17 June 2017}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4score = A{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/music/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-review/|title=Lorde makes partying sound holy on Melodrama: EW review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last=Feeney|first=Nolan|date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616175146/http://ew.com/music/2017/06/16/lorde-melodrama-review/|archive-date=16 June 2017}}

| rev5 = The Guardian

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/16/lorde-melodrama-review-cocky-challenge-pop-rivals|title=Lorde: Melodrama review – a cocky challenge to her pop rivals|work=The Guardian|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=16 June 2017|access-date=17 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616185013/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/16/lorde-melodrama-review-cocky-challenge-pop-rivals|archive-date=16 June 2017}}

| rev6 = The Independent

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/lorde-melodrama-album-review-how-to-listen-tour-tickets-green-light-liability-a7792266.html|title=Lorde, Melodrama, album review: Unconventional pop that still bangs|work=The Independent|last=O'Connor|first=Roisin|date=15 June 2017|access-date=15 June 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616204519/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/lorde-melodrama-album-review-how-to-listen-tour-tickets-green-light-liability-a7792266.html|archive-date=16 June 2017}}

| rev7 = NME

| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/lorde-melodrama-album-review-nme-2089505|title=Lorde – 'Melodrama' Album Review|work=NME|last=Stubbs|first=Dan|date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 June 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616142940/http://www.nme.com/reviews/album/lorde-melodrama-album-review-nme|archive-date=16 June 2017}}

| rev8 = Pitchfork

| rev8Score = 8.8/10{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lorde-melodrama/|title=Lorde: Melodrama|work=Pitchfork|last=Anderson|first=Stacey|date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 June 2017|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616083604/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lorde-melodrama/|archive-date=16 June 2017}}

| rev9 = Rolling Stone

| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-lordes-melodrama-w487965|title=Review: Lorde's 'Melodrama' Is Fantastically Intimate, a Production Tour De Force|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Hermes|first=Will|author-link=Will Hermes|date=15 June 2017|access-date=15 June 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170616160647/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-lordes-melodrama-w487965|archive-date=16 June 2017|url-status=live}}

| rev10 = Vice

| rev10score = B+{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/robert-christgau-on-lorde-amber-coffman-and-bleachers/|title=Robert Christgau on Lorde, Amber Coffman, and Bleachers|work=Vice|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=8 July 2017|access-date=8 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813181748/https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/vbmbax/robert-christgau-on-lorde-amber-coffman-and-bleachers|archive-date=13 August 2017}}

}}

Upon release, Melodrama received widespread acclaim from music critics and fans.{{Cite web |last=Aikins |first=Gabriel |date=17 June 2022 |title=The Magic Of 'Melodrama': How Lorde's Second Album Solidified Her & Producer Jack Antonoff As Global Stars |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/lorde-melodrama-album-anniversary-jack-antonoff-producer-star-pure-heroine-green-light |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118102912/https://www.grammy.com/news/lorde-melodrama-album-anniversary-jack-antonoff-producer-star-pure-heroine-green-light |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |access-date=20 June 2023 |publisher=Grammy}} At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 91, based on 32 critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". AnyDecentMusic? compiled 38 reviews and gave it an average score of 8.7 out of 10.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian suggested that the record was a "cocky challenge being issued to her musical contemporaries." In a perfect five-star review, NME reviewer Dan Stubbs described Melodrama as a "rudely excellent album", praising its introspection, honesty and cleverness. In contrast, Carl Wilson of Slate conceded that the record was "kind of a detour" in comparison to 1970s artists such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen.{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2017/06/lorde_s_new_album_melodrama_reviewed.html|title=Praise Lorde|work=Slate|date=19 June 2017|access-date=19 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102115415/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/music_box/2017/06/lorde_s_new_album_melodrama_reviewed.html|archive-date=2 November 2017}}

Nolan Feeney of Entertainment Weekly awarded the album an A and commended her songwriting skills, describing the album as a "puzzle that'll keep you busy long after the party is over." Pitchfork writer Stacey Anderson concluded that it was "a sleek and humid pop record full of grief and hedonism, crafted with the utmost care and wisdom." Sal Cinquemani of Slant echoed Anderson's judgment, describing it as "cathartic, dramatic, and everything else you could want an album titled Melodrama to be".{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|title=Lorde: Melodrama Album Review Slant Magazine|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/lorde-melodrama|website=Slant Magazine| date=15 June 2017 |access-date=15 June 2017|archive-date=14 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214200749/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/lorde-melodrama|url-status=live}} Rolling Stone{{'}}s Will Hermes lauded its production, labeling it a "tour de force."

The A.V. Club writer Meagan Fredette dubbed the record as "rich and cohesive", while Drowned in Sound{{'}}s Joe Goggins concluded that Lorde "[operates] at the highest artistic level yet [puts] it across as easy-access modern mainstream pop."{{cite web|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/19984/reviews/4151138|title=Album Review: Lorde – Melodrama|work=Drowned in Sound|date=17 June 2017|access-date=23 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912191517/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/19984/reviews/4151138|archive-date=12 September 2017}} Writing for Spin, Anna Gaca quipped that Melodrama "embodies a strange, studious undoneness, the blacklight black-and-blue of a perfectionist trying to capture imperfect feelings".{{cite news |last1=Gaca |first1=Anna |title=Review: Lorde Is a Visionary in the Dark on Melodrama |url=https://www.spin.com/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review/ |access-date=14 December 2018 |work=Spin |date=16 June 2017 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214164429/https://www.spin.com/2017/06/lorde-melodrama-review/ |url-status=live }} However, the Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood was less positive; he critiqued the album's storyline theme but acknowledged Lorde's potency when "owning her newfound authority".{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Mikael |title=Lorde is stronger than she seems on 'Melodrama' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-lorde-melodrama-review-20170616-story.html |access-date=14 December 2018 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=16 June 2017 |archive-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214213849/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-lorde-melodrama-review-20170616-story.html |url-status=live }}

Melodrama placed second on Metacritic's list of the best-received albums of 2017, based on inclusions in mainstream publications' year-end lists.{{cite news|url=http://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-albums-of-2017|title=Best of 2017: Music Critic Top 10 Lists|website=Metacritic|last=Dietz|first=Jason|date=27 November 2017|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319062906/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-albums-of-2017|archive-date=19 March 2018}} The album ranked at number four on The Village Voice{{'}}s annual Pazz & Jop mass critics' poll for 2017.{{cite news|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/22/pazz-jop-the-top-albums-and-singles-of-2017/|title=Pazz & Jop: It's Kendrick's and Cardi's World. We're All Just Living in It.|work=The Village Voice|date=22 January 2018|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208092309/https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/22/pazz-jop-the-top-albums-and-singles-of-2017/|archive-date=8 February 2018}} Metacritic ranked it the tenth album with most appearances on critics' top 10 best-of-the-decade lists, with 11 points.{{cite web |last1=Dietz |first1=Jason |title=The Best Albums of the Decade (2010–19), According to Music Critics |url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-the-decade-2010s |website=Metacritic |access-date=24 May 2020 |archive-date=15 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115223758/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-albums-of-the-decade-2010s |url-status=live }} Regarding reception from music audiences, Rolling Stone readers voted Melodrama the second most popular album of 2017,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-albums-of-2017-readers-poll-w513196/lorde-melodrama-w513205|title=Readers' Poll: 10 Best Albums of 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Spanos|first=Brittany|date=6 December 2017|access-date=25 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131456/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/10-best-albums-of-2017-readers-poll-w513196/lorde-melodrama-w513205|archive-date=17 January 2018}} while Pitchfork readers voted it the tenth greatest album of the 2010s, the highest position for a female artist's album on the list.{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/2010s-readers-poll-results/|title=Best of the 2010s: Pitchfork Readers' Poll Results|website=Pitchfork| date=16 October 2019 |language=en|access-date=26 October 2019|archive-date=4 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404052406/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/2010s-readers-poll-results/|url-status=live}} In another Pitchfork readers poll featuring the 200 best albums released between 1996 and 2021, Melodrama was ranked at number 20 on the list.{{cite news |title=The 200 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years, According to Pitchfork Readers |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/peoples-list-25th-anniversary/ |access-date=8 December 2024 |work=Pitchfork}}

The album won a New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year,{{cite web|url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018621917/lorde-wins-six-tuis-at-the-new-zealand-music-awards|title=Lorde wins six Tuis at the New Zealand Music Awards|work=Radio New Zealand |date=16 November 2017|access-date=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119041817/http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018621917/lorde-wins-six-tuis-at-the-new-zealand-music-awards|archive-date=19 November 2017|url-status=dead}} and received nominations at the ARIA Music Awards{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/female-artists-shine-in-2017-aria-nominations-20171009-gyxmlk.html |title=Female artists shine in 2017 ARIA nominations |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=10 October 2017 |access-date=15 October 2017 |archive-date=15 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015203547/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/female-artists-shine-in-2017-aria-nominations-20171009-gyxmlk.html |url-status=live }} and the NME Awards.{{cite news|last1=Daly|first1=Rhian|title=Here's all the winners from the VO5 NME Awards 2018|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/winners-vo5-nme-awards-2018-2241619|access-date=14 February 2018|work=NME|date=14 February 2018|archive-date=9 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509174638/http://www.nme.com/news/music/winners-vo5-nme-awards-2018-2241619|url-status=live}} At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018, it was nominated for Album of the Year, which went to Bruno Mars' 24K Magic (2016).{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/28/grammy-awards-2018-the-full-list-of-winners|title=Grammy awards 2018: full list of winners|date=29 January 2018|work=The Guardian |access-date=19 December 2019|archive-date=17 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217090840/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/28/grammy-awards-2018-the-full-list-of-winners|url-status=live}} A day before the event, Variety reported that Lorde had declined to perform at the ceremony after the Recording Academy asked her to sing with other artists in a tribute to Tom Petty. Her decision came after other nominees, who were all male, were given the opportunity to perform songs from their nominated works.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/why-isnt-lorde-performing-at-the-grammys-sources-explain-1202679146/|title=Why Isn't 2018 Album of the Year Nominee Lorde Performing at the Grammys?|work=Variety|last=Aswad|first=Jem|date=27 January 2018|access-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210015304/http://variety.com/2018/music/news/why-isnt-lorde-performing-at-the-grammys-sources-explain-1202679146/|archive-date=10 February 2018}}

{{Track listing

| total_length = 40:59

| headline = Melodrama – {{nobold|Standard version}}{{cite AV media notes|others=Lorde|title=Melodrama|year=2017|publisher=Republic Records}}

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Green Light

| lyrics1 = Ella Yelich-O'Connor

| music1 = {{hlist|Lorde|Jack Antonoff|Joel Little}}

| extra1 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Frank Dukes
• Kuk Harrell{{ref|b|[b]}}{{efn|Kuk Harrell is credited with vocal production on the first verse of "Green Light" only.}}

}}

| length1 = 3:54

| title2 = Sober

| lyrics2 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music2 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra2 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Malay
• Harrell{{ref|b|[b]}}

}}

| length2 = 3:17

| title3 = Homemade Dynamite

| lyrics3 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Tove Lo}}

| music3 = {{hlist|Lorde|Lo|Jakob Jerlström|Ludvig Söderberg}}

| extra3 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Dukes
• Harrell{{ref|b|[b]}}

}}

| length3 = 3:09

| title4 = The Louvre

| extra4 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Flume{{ref|a|[a]}}
• S1{{ref|a|[a]}}
• Dukes{{ref|a|[a]}}

}}

| length4 = 4:31

| lyrics4 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music4 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| title5 = Liability

| lyrics5 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music5 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra5 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff

}}

| length5 = 2:52

| title6 = Hard Feelings/Loveless

| lyrics6 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music6 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra6 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Dukes
• Malay

}}

| length6 = 6:07

| title7 = Sober II (Melodrama)

| lyrics7 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music7 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra7 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Dukes
• S1{{ref|a|[a]}}
• Harrell{{ref|c|[c]}}

}}

| length7 = 2:58

| title8 = Writer in the Dark

| lyrics8 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music8 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra8 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff

}}

| length8 = 3:36

| title9 = Supercut

| lyrics9 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music9 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra9 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Little
• Dukes{{ref|a|[a]}}
• Jean-Benoît Dunckel{{ref|a|[a]}}

}}

| length9 = 4:37

| title10 = Liability (Reprise)

| lyrics10 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music10 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra10 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff

}}

| length10 = 2:16

| title11 = Perfect Places

| lyrics11 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| music11 = {{hlist|Yelich-O'Connor|Antonoff}}

| extra11 = {{flatlist|

• Lorde
• Antonoff
• Andrew Wyatt
• Dukes
• T-Minus{{ref|a|[a]}}
• Malay{{ref|a|[a]}}

}}

| length11 = 3:41

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japanese bonus track{{cite web|title=Melodrama Lorde CD Album|url=http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICO-1292|website=CDJapan|location=Japan|access-date=25 May 2017|archive-date=26 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926042438/http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICO-1292|url-status=live}}

| total_length = 45:08

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title12 = Green Light

| note12 = Chromeo remix

| lyrics12 = Yelich-O'Connor

| music12 = {{hlist|Lorde|Antonoff|Little}}

| extra12 = Chromeo

| length12 = 4:09

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Spotify bonus track{{ref|d|[d]}}{{cite web|title=Melodrama|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/1EWpZzB4gOjw0vqsxU8fgl|website=Spotify| date=10 November 2017 |access-date=22 November 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033140/https://open.spotify.com/album/1EWpZzB4gOjw0vqsxU8fgl|archive-date=1 December 2017}}

| total_length = 44:33

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title_width = 37%

| writing_width = 37%

| extra_width = 26%

| title12 = Homemade Dynamite

| note12 = Remix) (featuring Khalid, Post Malone and SZA

| lyrics12 = {{hlist|Ella Yelich-O'Connor|Khalid Robinson|Austin Post|Solána Rowe|Tove Lo}}

| music12 = {{hlist|Lorde|Lo|Jakob Jerlström|Ludvig Söderberg}}

| extra12 = {{flatlist|

• Dukes
• Lorde
• Harrell{{ref|b|[b]}}

}}

| length12 = 3:34

}}

Notes

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies an additional producer
• {{sup|{{note|b|[b]}}}} signifies a vocal producer
• {{sup|{{note|c|[c]}}}} signifies an additional vocal producer
• {{sup|{{note|d|[d]}}}} added to the album after the single's release

Notes

• "Loveless" contains a sample of "In the Air Tonight", written and performed by Phil Collins and an audio recording from Paul Simon that appears on the 2012 documentary film, Under African Skies: Paul Simon's Graceland Journey.
• On vinyl releases, "Hard Feelings" (3:45) and "Loveless" (2:13) are separate tracks. The former is on side A and the latter is on side B, unlike the CD and digital versions where they are a single track.

Credits adapted from Jaxsta and the liner notes of Melodrama.{{Cite web|title=Melodrama: Overview|url=https://jaxsta.com/release/2c155295-d726-44e5-8716-4b166cd1f06e/9d102107-9fe4-4128-bcb9-d0da582f103f/overview|access-date=2 June 2021|website=Jaxsta|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215337/https://jaxsta.com/release/2c155295-d726-44e5-8716-4b166cd1f06e/9d102107-9fe4-4128-bcb9-d0da582f103f/overview|url-status=live}}{{cite AV media notes|title=Melodrama|others=Lorde|year=2017|publisher=Lava Records / Republic Records}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Production

• Lorde – executive production, production
• Jack Antonoff – executive production, production {{small|(tracks 1, 2, 4–11)}}
• Frank Dukes – production {{small|(tracks 1, 3, 6–7, 11)}}, additional production {{small|(tracks 4, 9)}}, programming {{small|(tracks 3, 6–7, 9, 11)}}
• Malay – production {{small|(track 2, 6)}}, additional production {{small|(tracks 11)}}, programming {{small|(tracks 2–4, 6, 9, 11)}}
• Joel Little – production {{small|(track 9)}}
• Andrew Wyatt – production {{small|(track 11)}}
• Flume – additional production {{small|(track 4)}}
• S1 – additional production {{small|(track 4, 7)}}
• Jean-Benoît Dunckel – additional production {{small|(track 9)}}
• Kuk Harrell – vocal production {{small|(tracks 1–3)}}, additional vocal production {{small|(track 7)}}
• T-Minus – additional production {{small|(track 11)}}

Artwork

• Sam McKinniss – cover artwork
• Theo Wenner – photography
• World of McIntosh Townhouse – pool shots
• 12:01 (office of Hassan Rahim) – art direction, design

{{col-2}}

Technical

• Laura Sisk – engineering
• Barry McCready – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 2, 4–11)}}
• Greg Eliason – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 1–4, 6–9, 11)}}
• Brendan Morawski – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 1, 3–5, 7–11)}}
• Seth Paris – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 2, 8, 10, 11)}}
• Eric Eylands – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 3–7, 10, 11)}}
• Ben Sedano – engineering assistance {{small|(tracks 7, 9, 11)}}
• Şerban Ghenea – mixing {{small|(tracks 1–4, 6A, 9, 11)}}
• Tom Elmhirst – mixing {{small|(tracks 5, 7, 8, 10)}}
• Jack Antonoff – mixing {{small|(track 6B)}}
• John Hanes – engineering for mix {{small|(tracks 1–4, 6A, 9, 11)}}
• Joe Visciano – mixing assistance {{small|(track 5)}}
• Brandon Bost – mixing assistance {{small|(tracks 5, 7, 8, 10)}}
• Tom Coyne – mastering {{small|(tracks 1, 5)}}
• Randy Merrill – mastering {{small|(tracks 2–4, 6–11)}}

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|type=album|award=Platinum|certyear=2019|relyear=2017|access-date=16 August 2019|refname="AU cert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2017|certyear=2025|access-date=30 April 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|type=album|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2025|relyear=2017|access-date=25 January 2025|refname="CA cert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=China|nocert=true|salesamount=164,000|salesref={{cite web |title=Melodrama - saoju.net |url=http://y.saoju.net/szzj/album/66/ |website=Saoju |access-date=4 March 2021 |language=zh |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308194551/http://y.saoju.net/szzj/album/66/ |url-status=live }}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|type=album|award=Gold|certyear=2021|relyear=2017|access-date=26 January 2021|id=9929}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Platinum|number=4|type=album|relyear=2017|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=16 February 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2017|certyear=2023|access-date=10 May 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2017|certyear=2025|source=artist|access-date=16 February 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Gold|id=14603-3846-2|salesamount=169,000|salesref={{efn|UK sales figures for Melodrama as of August 2021{{cite web |last1=Griffiths |first1=George |title=Lorde on how Melodrama's commercial reception inspired Solar Power: "I won't be number one for nine weeks" |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/lorde-on-how-melodramas-commercial-reception-inspired-solar-power-i-wont-be-number-one-for-nine-weeks__33860/ |website=Official Charts |access-date=16 December 2021 |date=23 August 2021}}}}|access-date=15 December 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=Lorde|title=Melodrama|award=Platinum|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref={{efn|US sales figures for Melodrama as of June 2021{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9589946/lorde-solar-power-album-release-date-2022-tour/|title=Lorde Announces 'Solar Power' Album Release Date, 2022 Tour & Eco-Conscious CD Alternative|first=Jason|last=Lipshutz|magazine=Billboard|access-date=21 June 2021|date=21 June 2021|archive-date=21 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621182618/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9589946/lorde-solar-power-album-release-date-2022-tour/|url-status=live}}}}|refname="US cert"|access-date=20 December 2023}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=400,000|salesref={{cite web|url=https://anuariossgae.com/anuario2018/anuariopdfs/04_MGRABADA.pdf|page=27|title=Los lanzamientos de álbumes de más éxito global 2017|publisher=Anuarios SGAE|language=es|access-date=18 August 2019}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true|nosales=true}}

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2017
• List of number-one albums from the 2010s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one albums in New Zealand by New Zealand artists
• List of number-one albums of 2017 (Australia)
• List of number-one albums of 2017 (Canada)

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{reflist|group=note}}

• {{Official website|https://lorde.co.nz/}}
• {{Discogs master|type=album|1196330|Melodrama}}

{{Lorde}}

{{New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2017 albums

Category:Albums produced by Flume (musician)

Category:Albums produced by Frank Dukes

Category:Albums produced by Jack Antonoff

Category:Albums produced by Malay (record producer)

Category:Albums produced by Symbolyc One

Category:Albums produced by Joel Little

Category:Albums produced by Kuk Harrell

Category:Albums produced by Lorde

Category:Albums produced by Andrew Wyatt

Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios

Category:2010s concept albums

Category:Lava Records albums

Category:Lorde albums

Category:Pop albums by New Zealand artists

Category:Republic Records albums

Category:Electropop albums